[Giants]

Yes, it was Steve Bates.  Tom Bates was a teammate of Steve’s that season.  

IMO, the loss of the annual visit by USC to the Bay Area is one the worst parts of the latest round of realignment.  On and off the field, those games were a great example of the uniqueness of college football.

I definitely miss that game. Most years, it was the second-best attended game after the Cal game. Sometimes, it drew more fans than the Cal game; e.g., 1968 when USC was 2nd ranked, 1969, 1970, 1972...and then I stopped looking. It was a great rivalry.

Cal hosted SC in the years when the Big Game was at Stanford and vice versa. Both games were regularly sold out in the era you cited. Since Memorial Stadium seated fewer fans than Stanford Stadium, it stands to reason that the SC/ Stanford game drew larger crowds.

[Giants]

Yes, it was Steve Bates.  Tom Bates was a teammate of Steve’s that season.  

IMO, the loss of the annual visit by USC to the Bay Area is one the worst parts of the latest round of realignment.  On and off the field, those games were a great example of the uniqueness of college football.

I definitely miss that game. Most years, it was the second-best attended game after the Cal game. Sometimes, it drew more fans than the Cal game; e.g., 1968 when USC was 2nd ranked, 1969, 1970, 1972...and then I stopped looking. It was a great rivalry.

Cal hosted SC in the years when the Big Game was at Stanford and vice versa. Both games were regularly sold out in the era you cited. Since Memorial Stadium seated fewer fans than Stanford Stadium, it stands to reason that the SC/ Stanford game drew larger crowds.